The 1670TBLKST that I bought in January has finally bit the dirt. (The Gerber it replaced was bought in 1997'ish. Since those are Made In China now, Gerber is off my list. Such irony.) It's a spring assisted model and the spring assist is no longer assisting.

Over 8 months, the little Kershaw pulled some tough duty. The only external damage was 1. the very tip chipped when I used it to force a door by stabbing directly into the jam/wall crevice and prying the deadlatch out of the strike plate... 2. a itty bitty chip in the edge from popping a cheap latch lock off an exterior circuit breaker box.... and 3. coating chipped off the back from whacking nails into pine trees for trip flares and booby trap simulators.

No rust anywhere on the knife, even though this summer I swam with it in a cargo pocket several times in salt water and brackish water.

Still has a good edge because it sharpens back up real quick with a diamond rod; much faster than some other US knives.

I've checked out the Kershaw warranty and it looks too easy to send in for fixing. They say they pay the return shipping.

I won't judge a company off one glitch, so in the meantime, today I picked up a 1660ST. Very sweet little knife. It's spring assisted too. I like that there's a little trigger on the back; you just run your finger over it and it's open. Good fit, good ergonomics, less aggressive looking than the 1670. It has no coating though. I'll put it to the test and see how it holds up.

I also picked up a CRKT M16-12z just because I've never had one of their folders.

Some things I found:

It pops open with a trigger or thumb stud. To close, in addition to moving the little spring retainer in the handle with your thumb, you must also flip a little trigger on the back of the handle with a finger.

It's made in Taiwan and I can already tell the blade will likely rust. For $70, I should have looked closer.

The paper with it advertised it as strong as a fixed blade, which is bullcrap; no folder is going to hold up to what a good fixed blade will.

It also said, "features requested by military procurement specialists" and "are special knives, designed by the military for special forces use". It makes me wonder by what stretch they lumped their product into the 5 S's of MIL-STD built gear. I'm not calling them liars, but my radar switched on. If it is a tough built knife at a good price, I'll be finding out.

PS. For clarification, CRKT is a totally different company than Kershaw.

Delta, send your old one in. They'll replace the blade and spring, if not the whole knive.
I've never had to have any repairs done and I've carried a Kershaw for years, but I've had friends break blade tips and the folks at Kershaw did them right.

The finishes on their knives are great also. I carried a rainbow Leek for about 4 years. The finish never wore in all that time, keys, lose change and all. I lost it in a Wally-World parking lot and replaced it with a 1660CKT since March of '08, and it's the same way. The pocket clip is worn on the edges and thats about it.

I'd take it apart to check it, but there is one 3mm thick pin that I don't want to drift out because I would 1. mess it up based on my history and 2. the warranty would be thrown away if I don't reassemble correctly.

Wondering if exposure to salt water messed up the guts. I'm going to put a note in the box for the shop guy that gets it. Just explaining the conditions it was used in and asking if that was the cause, or what. Only other thing I can think of is shock. Knife was used pretty hard for a folder. I've reverted back to abusing my k-bar or using the "big f*****g rock technique".

Any company can make a lemon, so I'm not thinking it's any indication of that company's quality slacking.

Those 1660 are nice in the hand aren't they? Mine is the stainless version with about 1" of serration. Since it's slimmer, I'll probably make it my blue jeans knife and when I get the 1670 back it'll go back to work. The 1670 is a bit more robust.

I retired my Gerber combat folder a while ago when I realized that Gerber was starting to make knives in China. I learned that from losing my EZ-Out, which like I said, had been working fine since about '97.

Delta, I think that pin is just a stop for the blade, I'm guessing. I haven't checked one out in person.
On the 1660 series, you'd be amazed at how simple a knive it is on the inside. The hardest part is finding a fricking #8 torx tip.

Anyway, Yeah, the 1660 is a really comfortable knive in the hand and in the pocket. I use to and sometime (rarely, inless I know I need a H/D knife) still do carry a Kershaw Boa, and the Leek is like carring air in comparison.
That's how I lost my first one. It fell out of my pocket and I never missed it.

The spring, I'd guess, is one simply set in the handle opposite of the release side which swings the blade via pivot torque just about like a handgun hammer. Might be a play off a 1911 hammer spring.

But that's why I figure they ought to look at it. Anything that simple should not break. That's my logic.

On that note, I can buy and carry switchblades, and there are some nice ones, but at $130-$400, no way, when a simple 1670 will fail, an expensive complicated Benchmade switch failing would piss me off good. My CCW .38 spl cost less.

Anyway, I'm thinking I'd be well advised to mail it in. It was a gift from Shellie too. Another reason not to break it.

The spring, I'd guess, is one simply set in the handle opposite of the release side which swings the blade via pivot torque just about like a handgun hammer. Might be a play off a 1911 hammer spring.

But that's why I figure they ought to look at it. Anything that simple should not break. That's my logic.

On that note, I can buy and carry switchblades, and there are some nice ones, but at $130-$400, no way, when a simple 1670 will fail, an expensive complicated Benchmade switch failing would piss me off good. My CCW .38 spl cost less.

Anyway, I'm thinking I'd be well advised to mail it in. It was a gift from Shellie too. Another reason not to break it.

Click to expand...

I'd almost be willing to bet that you wouldn't have to punch that pin out, that it will stay in one side or the other as the sides are pulled apart.

The action spring on the 1660 is mind bogglingly simple and fricking ingenious.
It's a simple J shaped piece of wire with the ends bent at a 90° angles to form legs. One bend leg on the curve of the J fits in the blade and the other leg fits in the liner/side.
When the blade is closed the "J" becomes a "d" and the tension is created.

It's been a couple of years since I've taken one of mine apart, so my above description may be slightly simplified and flawed, but it's purty durn close.

I didn't think of that on the pin. Ones in firearms...that's the way I was thinking, but yeah it is a different animal.

That spring....it stays as a J when you replace it, so it's actually relaxed when you reassemble?

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Yes. It is relaxed when the blade is open, there is no tension. It's just a piece of wire.
Like I say this is the 1660's / Leeks. I would guess the other Ken Onion knives are the same way, but who knows.
I tried to find a schematic, but no luck.
If I could get my camera to work , I'd disassemble and post pics.

I was about to write a post saying 'I am sure Kershaw are good, but the designs never quite did it for me'. Then I thought, take a look at their range again, and there are several new models there I would be glad to own and use! May even buy one.

I was about to write a post saying 'I am sure Kershaw are good, but the designs never quite did it for me'. Then I thought, take a look at their range again, and there are several new models there I would be glad to own and use! May even buy one.

You did a damn good job of describing that spring. It was almost as good as the video.

I'm still thinking that for that spring to fail, in mine, it must be defective. Or something. That would mean voiding warranty if disassembling for no good. Maybe there's a slim chance it just popped out....but why?

I want to take it apart, but will ponder it first. My caution is from having voided a whole heap of warranties.

You did a damn good job of describing that spring. It was almost as good as the video.

I'm still thinking that for that spring to fail, in mine, it must be defective. Or something. That would mean voiding warranty if disassembling for no good. Maybe there's a slim chance it just popped out....but why?

I want to take it apart, but will ponder it first. My caution is from having voided a whole heap of warranties.

Click to expand...

I hear ya.
I'm one of those idiots that takes things apart to see how they work, but when it comes to putting them back together I turn into a mechanical klutz, go figure.

I found a set of five of the "mini" Torx drivers at Sears for around $10 last fall. Craftsman. The individuals were $5 each, so it was worth it to me.

My 1670 is still going strong 3 years in, and though I haven't used it in quite the conditions you have, Delta, I think yours must have had a bad spring. Mine has been swimming in fresh water 100 times, it's been a hammer (actually, I usually hold it on the nail and stomp on it to drive the nail) and pry bar, and it's still going strong.

Also, you don't have to send it in for warranty repair. From here, you can set the subject to "Warranty Service" and just list what you need, and they will send it to you free of charge.